Help in planning a home gym

You need to look at the footprint of the machines you’re considering. They can vary a lot in size. Some can fold away but might be less sturdy. My free weight area is probably about 4x6. 6x6 would be better. I use dB and a 5 ft bar, no rack. Also confident whether you want room for floor work. Rubberized flooring is very nice especially if you find a good deal. I got mine from a fitness studio that was closing. Also plan for heat A/C ventilation depending on your weather.

rack and barbell would be good if space permits....

My home gym is 12x15 and includes a rowing machine, treadmill, assault bike, stack weight machine, heavy bag and freestanding bag, and a half cage with pulleys (plus bench). I have enough floor space to do lifts from the floor, or yoga/burpees/calesthenics/jump rope/etc. although if I’m doing lifts from the floor, I don’t also have room to do these other things.

Storage of stuff takes up a lot of my other floor space. I have Dumbbells, kettlebells, iron and bumper plates, medicine balls, plyo boxes, etc. I’ve got a lot on the walls, in vertical storage and attached to other things as much as possible, but it still takes space to store all the stuff. Just something to keep in mind.

Lastly-I think my cage is 4x6 (or thereabouts-the pulleys take up a lot of room). The bar extends beyond the cage. An Olympic bar (men’s) is about 7ft long. So when you’re lifting, you’ll need 7+ ft of clearance wherever the bar path is. So my 4ft wide lifting cage really takes up 7+ ft when I’m using it and I can’t be built in a corner. I can put things in some of that space when I’m not lifting. I also use a women’s bar because in a small area, those few inches shorter of a bar make a big difference (plus I’m a woman with tiny hands and my hand doesn’t wrap around a men’s bar). So keep that in mind if you get a rack/cage that it needs to be away from the walls and you need to have clearance for the bar when you’re lifting.

I don’t know what your budget is but I’ve been lusting after the foldout rack at Rogue (rack folds against the wall when you’re not using it).

It’s tight but it works for me. I’m also pretty small and short so I tend to not need a lot of clearance for things. Like my head will never extend beyond the back of my concept2 when I’m rowing so it’s right up against the wall. That wouldn’t work if I were taller (because I would need more clearance space).

I have recycled tire flooring. It’s ok but the surface on mine is actually quite slippery. I would go with horse stall mats if I were choosing today.

A rack and barbell needs about 10 feet side to side and anything over about 6 feet front to back. The olympic bar is 7ft long and space on either side to load it is important. The depth I mentioned is about the bare minimum of what you can comfortably bench in. I have a rack and bar bells in a 6.5x14 foot room and find it more than large enough for my needs.

In my home gym, I have a barbell and weights, a bench, a rack, and adjustable dumbbells. Also some resistance bands. I think it's pretty well equipped for my needs. Oh and those rubber mats for the floor, and I plan on buying a yoga mat. My husband is going to build me a new squat rack eventually because the one I have is just a rack. It doesn't have those catcher bars and I don't really feel comfortable doing heavy squats without those. when he builds me that, he's also going to put a pull up bar on the top. I admit I have a decent sized area because it's in the unfinished basement, so lots of room.

Landmine exercises here: https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-5-essential-landmine-exercises.html

IronMaster bench. Best bench I've ever owned (and I've owned many).

I would recommend the thick plastic squares over the wood. Hopefully it won't hurt the finish over time. I have the gym grade rubber over the plywood (unfinished) floor.

Will see if I can post a pic, later.

RickInHouston wrote: »

Here. Wow, it's messy! I guess my wife is right.

It doesn't look messy to me

bodybuilding.com equipment forum has some UK members that would give you great suggestions for quality stuff. Some of them can get pretty OCD though so if you go there beware.

I still say power rack either full or half. I had a full rack but a much nicer half rack fell into my lap so I have that now. The footprint on the floor of the half rack is larger than that of a full rack but it takes up less room overall. Being that your in the UK I'm not sure about the stall mats you might be able to find. you might consider building a weight lifting platform and securing your power rack to this. You would buy less rubber flooring in the long run and not have to replace or rip up your current floor.